Seventeen
by Insaine
Summary: Sequel to 'Hard to Love'. Gia has grown up to be just as headstrong as her mother and obtained the social skills of her father. Growing up in her family of detectives was never exactly easy and left Gia desperate to prove herself. However, with L wanting to keep her safe this has proved difficult. So when the opportunity to do so, she doesn't hesitate to take it.
1. Chapter 1

L's POV

"I said no." I responded, loading things into the back of the car.

I heard Gia huff. "That's not fair." She voiced.

I sighed and turned to her. Why did she have to be so stubborn? "Life's not fair, Gia. Now go back inside with your uncle B." I ordered.

Gia crossed her arms and frowned deeply, looking incredibly like Anna had at Seventeen. The only difference between the two really was Gia had inherited my black hair, which was now tied back in a high ponytail. "You let Near and Matt and Mello go with you when they were my age. Younger actually. You even took them on the Kira Case."

I paused in my retort. Technically she had a point. "That was different."

"It was because they were boys, wasn't it? I'm just as capable of solving cases as they are." She argued.

"No it wasn't because they were boys. If I had it my way they wouldn't have been there at all."

"L, are you ready to go?" Anna asked coming up to where I stood with our daughter. I took her bag from her and threw it into the trunk and shut it down.

"Mom, tell him to let me go with you guys." Gia pleaded following Anna to the driver's side of the car.

"Absolutely not." Anna said opening the driver's door. "It's too dangerous. You are going to stay here with Beyond. Mello is going to stop by tomorrow to check on you."

Gia let out a noise of frustration, "I don't need my big brothers checking up on me."

Anna kissed our daughter on the cheek, "I know you don't sweetie, but it makes us feel better. We'll call you when the plane lands alright? We'll be back in a week."

I kissed the top of her head. "Be good and study hard. Near is going to stop by sometime this week to give you a test while we're gone." With that I got into the car and we were off. Anna and I drove in silence for a few minutes before I spoke up, "You're daughter is so persistent."

Anna laughed, "We are going to have to take her on a case eventually."

I scrunched my face in disgust at the thought. I didn't want my daughter anywhere near the kind of cases we took, or the kind the boys had gone off to take on their own. Matt and Mello and elected to work together to solved cases, but Near had opted to go off on his own. All of them were private investigators. It had made Anna and I incredibly proud when they solved their first solo cases. Beyond had insisted that Mello become and 'Unprivate investigator'. I had told him that wasn't an actual thing, but he insisted. Luckily, Mello listens to me.

"Love?" I hummed in response and Anna covered my hand with hers for a moment. "Just give it some thought okay? She'll be fine on a case with us."

I sighed and looked out the window, "We'll see."

Gia's POV

"They leave already?" Uncle B asked through a mouthful of jam as I entered the kitchen. His face was full of Jam, as were his clothes. Even parts of his dark brown hair had gotten splashed.

I felt my face scrunch up in disgust as he did, "Don't talk with your mouth full its gross." I went to the fridge and pulled out a bottle of water. "They just left. You know it's not fair. They let my brothers go with them all the time when they were my age." I tapped on my water bottle and felt a smalls smile tug at my lips as I formulated an idea. "I'll be in my room if you need me."

"Okay." Uncle B said scooping out more jam. God that was gross. He didn't even use a spoon, just his hands.

I threw myself onto my bed and looked over the pictures that covered my walls. Countless pictures of me and my brothers and my parents and my uncle. My eyes landed on a specific picture of me and my brother Matt. His red hair was soaking wet as was my black hair. My dad had taken it right after we'd gotten into a water balloon fight with Mello and Near. That was the day of my thirteenth birthday, he was twenty seven in that picture. He never acted his age though. In truth, Matt, Mello, and Near weren't my brother's as far as blood went. My mom and dad had adopted them when I was born. I never could get a straight answer as to why they did that. Not that it really mattered, for all intents and purposes they were my brothers.

I turned away from the pictures and picked up my cell phone. I looked through the few contacts I had and pressed it to my ear.

"Hello?" The familiar voice came through the phone along with the sounds of video games in the background and I smiled.

"Hey, Mattie. Can you come over?" I asked. I didn't need to keep my voice down, Uncle B didn't really pay attention to me. Besides, it wasn't unusual for me to be calling my brothers.

"Yeah sure, let me just find Mello-"

"No!" I jumped in.

"That's not suspicious. What are you planning?" He asked lowering his own voice.

Out of my three brothers, I had grown closest to Matt. He tended to be gone the least and was the most laid back. If there was a problem, I went to Matt first.

I bit my lip before answering, "Matt, just come over please? I swear I'll explain when you get here."

The noises of videogames stopped and there was silence. After what seemed like forever there was a sigh on the other end. "I'll be there in twenty minutes and you're going to explain yourself. Got it?"

"Got it, thanks love you! Bye." I rushed and hung up before starting the pack my bag.

"No chance in hell." Matt said leaning against my bedroom door.

"Come on, Matt. You know I can do this." I reasoned.

Matt rolled his eyes, his goggles sat atop his head. "Just because you can doesn't mean you should." I noticed him looking over the pictures on the opposite wall. "You take a lot of pictures." His blue eyes scanning them before landing on the one of us. He smiled lightly.

"Matt, come on, I could have asked Near or Mello, but I didn't. I called you because you're the cool brother." I flatted and Matt laughed.

"Well of course I am. That doesn't mean I'm going to let you run off. Mom and Dad would have my head." He laughed and I huffed. "Aw, come on, G. Don't be like that."

"You're not giving me much of a choice." I warned.

"Gia, they'll take you with them eventually." He said. "Just be patient, Kiddo."

I moved toward him slowly, "But I can do it now. I can prove it. You just have to help me get to Viborg, Denmark."

"Yeah not happening." He said crossing his arms.

I sighed, "I really didn't want to have to do this Matt."

He didn't get a chance to ask what I was talking about because I hit him. He hit the floor with a thump. My dad had taught me how to do that, just in case I ever needed to protect myself. What I would ever need to protect myself from, I wasn't sure. I knew I had a limited amount of time before my uncle came to check what the noise was or what I was doing so I started in on my plan B.

"Sorry, Matt." I apologized quietly as I pulled his keys out of his pocket. "I'll be fine, I promise." I grabbed my bag and kicked the screen off of my window and hopped out. I was going to do this. I was going to prove that I was just as capable of solving cases as my brothers.


	2. Chapter 2

Matt's POV

I woke with a start as cold water splashed me, "Dude!" I pulled my goggles up onto my now dripping hair and looked up to Beyond. "What was that for?"

"How else was I going to wake you up?" He asked, cradling his bucket like his life depended on it. He must have cleaned up from when I first got here because he was now in a clean black long sleeve and his face and hair were clear of jam.

Realization as to where I was and why I was there came flooding back. "Where the hell did she go?" I pushed myself up off the floor and looked around the room for Gia. The screen was kicked out. I went to the window and looked out it. My car was gone. "She took my baby." I whimpered. I didn't think she even knew how to drive a car. I pulled out my phone and started dialing numbers

"Where the hell are you?" Mello's annoyed voice came through the phone.

I sat on Gia's bed and sighed, "I'm going to tell you, but you have to promise not to freak out."

"What is he doing here?" Mello spat as he stalked into Gia's room where Near and I were waiting.

"Well, I am her brother as well." Near stated, twirling a piece of white hair between his fingers.

Mello huffed and leaned against the door as his blue eyes landed on me obviously waiting for some sort of explanation. When I didn't offer one, he finally asked, "What happened?"

I sighed and leaned back onto the bed, "She wanted me to help her get to Denmark. She didn't think it was fair that Mom and Dad wouldn't take her. When I told her no, she knocked me out. She stole my damn car too." I stated standing up. This was so stressful. I needed a cigarette.

"You let her knock you out?" Mello questioned.

I shot him a look. "I didn't let her do anything. I hadn't expected her to hit me. It happened really fast."

"I think the best option here would be to alert our parents that Gia will be arriving soon. Since it took Mello so long to get here, it would be useless to try and catch up to her. She's probably boarding a plane as we speak. She should be there in a little under an hour and a half." Near calculated calmly. "Please, don't smoke in her room, Matt. It's rude." He commented as I pulled out a cigarette. I glanced over at him before putting it back.

"No way. We can't tell them, I was supposed to be watching her. L will kill me." Beyond came into the room. Beyond had been trying to regain L's trust for over seventeen years, losing his daughter would definitely set him back.

"I have an idea." Mello answered calmly.

Gia's POV

I sighed as I settled into the seat on the plane. I wasn't sure what was going to happen once I landed, there were a few possibilities. One was that my parents were going to be waiting on me at the airport to ship me back to England. Another was that my brothers, by some miracle, had beaten me to Denmark and were waiting for me to drag me home before mom and dad find out, or lastly, I've gotten away with this for the time being. I prayed silently for the third option.

As the plane took off, I gripped the armrest tightly. I'd never flown by myself before and I wasn't looking forward to doing it now, but I had to do this. If I could solve this case on my own my parents would have to accept the fact that I was ready to go on cases with them, that I could be of use. There was only one flaw in my plan. I didn't know almost nothing about this case my parents were working on. I knew it involved at least sixteen kidnappings and murders of young women, but past that I was clueless.

I leaned back into the chair, fighting the urge to pull my feet up onto the seat, and put in my head phones. It wouldn't be a very long plane ride, only about an hour from here to there and then I'd have to get to Viborg. That would be something to figure out when I got there.

Matt's POV

"I'm not sitting next to him." I brushed my hair back off my forehead as Mello stood in the middle of the isle, arms crossed.

"Mello, just sit down, we'll switch seats later." I hissed. "You're holding up the line." When Mello didn't moved, I grabbed him by the shoulder and shoved him roughly into the seat beside Near and sitting beside him. I heard him begin to protest and slapped my hand over his mouth, "Deal with it, Mels."

He pried my hand away from his face and glared coldly, "What's your problem?"

"You're acting like a child and if we get thrown off the plane we won't get to Denmark to get Gia home before mom and dad know she's missing." I snapped quietly as to not draw attention to us.

"They're going to find out eventually." Near said, gripping the armrest tightly. I looked him over, examining his behavior.

Near's knuckles were white from the tight grip. I looked to Mello and nodded in his direction. Mello glanced to him and then at me, shaking his head causing his blonde hair to sway around his face. Obviously Mello was not going to be any help.

When the rest of the plane was seated I turned to Mello, "Okay, switch seats with me." I didn't have to tell Mello twice. He stood up and I hopped into his chair and he fell into mine. "Hey." I said to Near.

Near looked up at me carefully, grey eyes wide. He was visibly shaking, but I could tell he was trying to keep his usual cool demeanor. "Hello."

Not knowing what else to do, I wrapped my arm around his shoulders and let him rest his head on my shoulder, "It's going to be fine. Just go to sleep for a little bit. I'll wake up when you land, alright?"

Near nodded and within a few minutes he was out, snoring softly at my side. Unsure about how light of a sleeper he actual was I kept my arm around him for fear of waking him up. It wasn't long before my arm fell asleep.

"He's too old to need someone to hold his hand." Mello snarled.

"We have bigger issues to worry about than whether or not Near can fly by himself." I reminded.

Mello looked away and then back to me, "She used her own card at the airport, but she also took out a large sum of money from an ATM in Winchester. It's going to be a lot harder to find her if she's paying in cash." He said. Mello had looked into the records before we boarded.

I nodded, "Well, we know she's going to Viborg, that's a start. We'll head her off there and drag her ass home."

Mello nodded, "Sounds like a plan." He looked passed me to Near, "Did we have to bring him? We work fine on our own."

"She's his sister too. Besides, he could be useful." I replied carefully.

Mello waved me off, "Whatever."


	3. Chapter 3

Gia's POV

I landed in Aalborg Airport in Denmark and hailed a cab. I gave him the address of a random motel in the heart of Viborg and sat back, not talking for the rest of the ride. I watched the scenery pass with little interest. I'd gotten this far, that meant I was more likely to succeed. I wondered if my parents had been informed I was missing. The chances of that were, however, very slim. My brothers had more than likely developed a plan to come find me and drag me home before my parents could find out. We pulled up to the motel and I got out, paid the driver and walked in. I confidently walked up to the counter and offered the receptionist a smile.

She was a rather round middle aged woman who looked completely sick of her job. Her blonde hair was pulled up into a sophisticated looking bun and her white button up was wrinkled slightly. Her piercing green eyes looked down on me coldly, "Can I help you?"

I pulled myself to my full height, which if we're honest, was less than impressive. "I'd like to rent a room."

She leaned forward on her forearms and studied me carefully. Finally she leaned back, "Where are your parents?"

I almost sighed, despite being seventeen, anyone I'd ever come in contact with mistook me for someone much younger. I pulled out my wallet and slipped a hundred Euros across the front desk, "I think I'm old enough to be here without parents."

She picked up the bill and looked me over. I tried to remain calm and cool. She could call the authorities and my father would hear about it instantly. After a while she tucked the bill into her pants pocket and handed me a key. "The last door is your room."

I thanked her and headed down the hall of the rundown motel. If I knew anything about the 'real' world, it was that money talks. I pushed open the large wooden door that looked just like the rest of the doors and walked into the room, locking the door behind me. I tossed my backpack on the floor and fell back onto the bed.

Now that I was here, I wasn't sure where to start. I hadn't brought my own laptop for fear that Mello would somehow be able to track me through it. I knew he couldn't find me with my phone unless I used it, which is something I don't plan on doing unless necessary. The library seemed like a good place to start. It had an internet connection, I could use that to hack into the police database. That was easier said than done though. Matt could hack into anything and he'd taught me a bit, but… my thoughts were interrupted by my cell phone ringing obnoxiously in the pocket of my bag.

I pulled it out and checked the caller ID: it was my mother. Without even considering ignoring the call, I answered and pressed it to my ear.

"Hello?" I questioned lightly. I was not an experienced liar. This posed a bit of a problem when I was trying to sound like I was still at home and hadn't flown to a different county without telling anyone.

"Gia, you're phone's been off for a few hours now. Are you alright?" To my surprise, it was my father's voice that came through the phone.

This would be even more difficult. My father, I knew, was someone who made a living on telling lies. I swallowed hard and nodded to myself. "I'm fine. The battery died and I'd left it alone to charge." I counted the seconds of silence. He was considering my answer, deciding if I was being truthful. "Dad, really, I'm fine."

"Let me talk to Beyond." He insisted.

My heart almost stopped. Thinking quickly I made up an excuse. "He, uh, he went to the store. For Jam." That was believable enough.

There was another silence, "Gia, your mother and I were talking. I think we-" A noise I could distinguish came through the phone, "-I may have been a bit short with you before taking this case. I want you to know it isn't because I don't trust your abilities. I just don't believe you're on the level to take on cases such as these at the moment, but given a bit of time, you'll be more than capable. Do you understand?"

I nodded curtly, "I understand."

With a brief exchange of goodbye's we hung up and I deposited my phone in my pocket. Obviously my mother and father were at their hotel. This meant I would be able to go out into the town without worrying about running into them. I gathered the file I had, it was mostly filled with newspaper clippings my father had on the case. He had the official police file with him. With those in my possession I was out the door.

L's POV

I hung up with Gia and looked to where Anna was sitting next to me going through police files on the case. We had boxes after boxes of information littered all around the room. It would take forever to sort through it all had I been alone in this. Anna seemed to notice my stare because she looked up at me curiously.

"What is it?" Her voice was laced with a bit of concern and frankly, I couldn't blame her for worrying. Before the brief phone call with our daughter, we had been trying to get in touch with her for over an hour.

I shook my head in thought, "Something's a bit off with her. She seemed on edge." I placed my thumb to my lips and crawled into the chair next to Anna's.

Anna offered me a sympathetic smile. "I'm sure she was just surprised to hear from you. Based on your history, phone calls are a rarity for you. On top of that, the caller ID was mine so to hear your voice from my phone probably confused her."

I met Anna's eye, a bit annoyed she wasn't listening to me. "I didn't say she sounded surprise. I said she sounded on edge." I paused for a moment. "She's hiding something."

Anna laughed, she evidently found something comical about our daughter hiding something from us. She rested her hand over mine and met my gaze, "I'm sure you'll figure it out, Detective. Until then, we do have another case to solve. Whatever Gia's doing, I'm sure Beyond can handle it." She passed me a folder and turned back to her own.

"I suppose."

I shrugged off the feelings of concern and suspicion I had for my daughter and forced myself to pay attention to what I was doing. The sooner we solved this case, the sooner I would get home and be able to investigate into what Gia was hiding.

Anna's POV

I stared at the file in front of me without really reading it. If L felt Gia may be hiding something, I had reason to believe him. I resolved to call her later and dig into the matter myself. As level headed as L attempted to be, both on and off cases, matters concerning his daughter and the boys seemed to strike something with in him that forced him to lose his cool. I took a deep breath, feeling like a new weight had laid itself on my shoulders and tied my hair up before diving back into my work.


	4. Chapter 4

Matt's POV

"So what now?" Near questioned from his place on one of the dusty motel beds.

I paused in taping up the newspaper clippings and things we'd printed off the internet about the case onto the wall and turned to Near. He had one leg pulled up to his chest.

"Now we start thinking like Gia."

The hotel room we'd rented was at the end of the hall on the bottom floor of a rundown motel. It was a small two bed suite with a dirt old couch on the other side of the wall by the bathroom. It didn't matter that it was probably one of the worst looking motels I had ever been in, we wouldn't be here for every long. We just had to solve enough of the case to catch up to Gia.

"Okay, I got the map." Mello slammed the door behind himself.

I took the map of Viborg and taped it up next to a picture of Gia. "Pins?" I asked.

Mello handed me the pushpins we used on cases and I opened it up. I stuck them in to different spaces on the map based on a color code Mello and I had developed on our first case. When I finished, Mello looked it over and nodded.

"What is that?"

"It's a map, stupid." Mello snapped at Near.

Near frowned deeply. "I know it's a map. I meant what do the colors mean?"

I hopped up on the desk by the map and pointed. "Blue pins are abduction sights, white ones are where the bodies were found, and yellow is where all the motels and hotels are in the area."

"What about the red one?" Near questioned.

I sighed, "That's where Mom and Dad are."

Gia's POV

"Damn." I muttered under my breath as ACCESS DENIED flashed on the screen once again.

If I couldn't hack into the stupid police files this entire trip would be for nothing. I tried it once again. Once more the bright red letters flashed across the screen. I pulled at my hair and scrunched up my face. Matt always made hacking look so easy. I started up again when my keyboard was taken over by a shadow.

"Having trouble?"

I turned quickly to find a boy about my age looking down at me through thick framed glasses. His blond hair fell over his forehead in tuffs. It was messy and looked like it would annoyingly fall into his eyes. He looked like he had Near's build, but was about Matt's height. His shirt was a bit baggy on him and his jeans didn't fit quite right, but a belt had fixed that problem. An old, grey zip up jacket was the only real thing protecting him from the chill of the library. I clicked my tongue and turned from him. I typed at my computer once more.

"No."

The boy fell into the chair beside me and watched as the letters popped up once more. I could feel him judging me.

"I can help with that."

"I don't need help."

ACCESS DENIED

"You look like you need help."

"Well, I don't. You can leave now."

The boy stopped talking, instead he leaned back in the chair and watched me type in a few more codes, each of them yielding the same results. He sighed allowed. He sounded almost bored.

"Can I help you with something?" I questioned, annoyed that he was still here.

He rolled his eyes, "No, but I can help you. You're making rookie mistakes."

I turned from him and typed in more codes. "I can figure it out."

He made some noise of disbelief and fixed his glasses. "You think you're some kind of genius, don't you?"

"I don't think anything. I'm well aware I'm a genius." I didn't look at him as I typed.

The letters flashed once again and the boy sighed aloud once more. His rough looking hands took the keyboard from me and turned the monitor to face him. I didn't even have time to protest before the computer beeped three times.

"There you're in." He looked over the screen and frowned. "Hacking into the police database to look at a case like this." He looked to me. "What's a pretty girl like you want with this?"

I turned the screen to myself and sent the police files to the printer. "I've got a personal interest in the case."

The boy followed me and leaned on the printer. "I'm Emil Anderson, by the way."

He held his hand out to me. I took it, shook it once and then wiped my hand on my jeans. "Gia."

He raised his eyebrows. "Do you have a last name?"

"Of course I do."

"Do you want to tell me what it is?"

"Absolutely not."

A smirk met his lips. "Your mysterious. I like that."

I finally met his gaze. "Emil Anderson, I have a case to solve. If you could please take whatever you're trying to do somewhere else it would be greatly appreciated."

He looked a bit taken aback as he fixed his glasses. I grabbed the papers off the printer. I walked back to my computer, laid the papers face down beside it, and started logging out of everything. As soon as the computer was shut down, I pulled an empty folder out of my backpack and deposited the papers inside.

"You know you could say thank you for hacking that system for you." Emil's voice broke through the silence.

"Are you still here?" I asked putting the folder back into my bag and zipping it up.

I pulled my bag onto my shoulder and turned to him. His brow was furrowed and his cheeks puffed out. He looked like a small child about to throw a temper tantrum. He crossed his arms over his chest and looked at the computer and then to me.

"Fine. Thank you, Anderson for hacking into the database. I could certainly have done it without you. Now, if you'll excuse me I have a case to solve."

I started to walk away when I felt a hand grab my backpack. I turned to face him again. His glasses had fallen slightly askew. I raised my eyebrows slightly. He let me go and fixed his glasses. He tugged his jacket closer.

"I could help you. With the case I mean. It looks like you could use some help."

I bit the inside of my cheek. "No."

"Okay, well." He scribbled something down on a piece of paper meant to write down the letters from the library catalog to help find the book. "Give me a call if you need anything. I can tell you're not from around here."

I looked at the paper and pushed it into the pocket. "What gave it away?"

"The accent. I'll see you around, Gia." Emil smiled like he knew something I didn't and I rolled my eyes.

"I sure as hell hope not."


	5. Chapter 5

Gia's POV

It had been three days. Three days since I'd landed and gotten the first of the files off the police database. My parents hadn't called, whatever my brother's must have been telling them had to be pretty convincing to keep my phone so quiet. There had been a few texts from Matt and Mello. I knew they were concerned, but I couldn't go back to England just yet. I hadn't made much progress, but the files I'd retrieved from the library should help speed things up.

I'd figured out what I had been doing wrong that day at the library and made a few adjustments. I knew hacking couldn't have been that hard. Especially after how easily that boy had been able to do it. I adjusted my bag strap as I walked and noticed something. There was another set of footsteps echoing a few beats after my own. I reached for my phone, tempted to call someone to bail me out of this mess. After all, there was a killer on the loose.

I took a few deep breaths and sped up a little, the footsteps did as well. I should have watched the time better. I knew better than to walk alone in the dark. Hadn't my father told me a million times? Hadn't Mello told me horror stories about this exact thing? I knew I was being followed, but I had to be sure. I made a right and then another and then another. On the fourth right, I stopped behind a wall and waited. As soon as I heard the footsteps about to turn the corner, I acted. I moved quickly, pinning them between myself and the rough brick behind them. They made a high pitched shriek and held up their hands to shield their face.

"Don't! It's me!"

Emil.

I let him go and moved back to get a good look at him. He fixed his glasses and jacket before looking to me. He pouted slightly looking more like a child then a teenager. He crossed his arms tightly against his chest as I did.

"Why are you following me?" I questioned quietly.

He shrugged keeping his own voice low. "I saw you at the library."

"That's not a good reason to stalk someone."

Emil rolled his eyes before pushing his glasses up the bridge of his nose. "It's not stalking. I was just following. I had every intention to reveal I was there."

I scowled, "but you didn't."

"If I had known not doing so would get me slammed into a wall, I would have." He snapped.

I was about to retort when I heard a familiar voice coming from around the corner. I grabbed Emil by his shoulders and pulled him back into the alleyway we'd just come out of. He let out a squeak of surprise and I slapped my hand over his mouth. I pressed myself up against him to avoid being seen and watched the mouth of the alley through my hair. When the passerby turned out to be someone of no importance, I released Emil. He took a deep breath and fixed his glasses.

"What the hell was that?" He looked from me to the mouth of the alley.

"I thought it was my brother." I admitted. "I've got to go."

Emil fell into step beside me. "So you're really taking on this case? You're not just messing around?"

I shook my head. "Nope."

Why would he think I was messing around? Did people do that? Gather information about different cases to pretend to solve them? It seemed like a lot of effort to go through for a game. The only person I could think of who might go to such great lengths is Near. Maybe my father. Both were unlikely though. Near liked to solve puzzles, but he liked to have an end game, some sort of reward. At the end of the case you find the killer and get some sort of monetary reward. When you finish a puzzle, you get to see the picture. What do you win when you just pretend to be a detective?

"I want to help."

I glanced at him. "Go home."

"I can help." He insisted.

I kept walking toward my hotel. I considered it. After all, I had made zero progress in the past three days. Maybe having an extra set of eyes wouldn't hurt. That's why my mom and dad worked together, right? And why Mello worked with Matt? I got a sick feeling in my stomach at the thought. I should call them. I couldn't risk Mello tracking the signal though. If Mello got my location, it would be game over.

We reached the outside of my hotel room and I turned to Emil. He waited expectantly, fiddling with the bottom of his jacket.

"You can stay." I decided. His eyes lit up. "But, this is my case. You're just along for the ride. Got it?"

He nodded. "Whatever you say, Gia."

I opened the door and Emil sauntered in after me. I shut it quickly and shut the blinds. Emil switched on the light and let out a low whistle. I looked up. His eyes were glued to the wall of information I'd gathered in the past three days. Victims' photos, both before and after. Colorful strings linked them. A map of Viborg was pinned to the wall, victims' abduction sights and dump sites were marked with different color pushpins, but I couldn't remember what the colors meant without my key.

"This is interesting." His hand went up.

"Don't touch it!" I snapped. "You'll mess it up. Here, make yourself useful."

I shoved a file into his hands. He flipped through it and made his way to the bed. He sat on it and started going through the files. I glanced at the clock. Red letters flashed 11:37 at me. I knew I was going to have to pull an all-nighter to read through everything. That was okay, though. My dad did it all the time. If he could do it, surely I could do it. I just had to keep Emil awake by giving him things to read.

I had gone through four files for four different victims before I looked up again. 1:00 shined brightly at me and I rubbed the sleep from my eyes. This was getting difficult to do. I'd only ever stayed up all night once before playing videogames with Matt. My eyes burned and I was exhausted then too.

"Emil Anderson, do you need another file?" I yawned. There was no answer. "Emil Anderson, I asked you a question." No response. "Anderson."

I turned around to find Emil passes out on the bed. There was a small pile of about seven case files lying on the floor beside him. One file rested on his chest. I sighed and got up from my chair. I took the file from him and closed it before pulling one of the dusty throw blankets over him. I removed his glasses and placed them on the table beside him.

"Night, Anderson."

I picked up the files from the floor and moved them to the table beside myself and kept reading. There was a lot of work to do. I didn't have time for sleep.


	6. Chapter 6

Emil's POV

I blinked against the bright light. I didn't remember falling asleep or where I was. I sat up, the room was blurry and I couldn't make out anything in detail. I glanced around me and found something dark against a brown I could only assume was a table. I groped blindly at the darker object and sighed in relief when I realized they were indeed my glasses. I slipped them on and the room around me came into focus. I could smell the stench of motel coffee. It filled the room, making it seem much warmer than it was.

"Oh, you're awake."

I jumped at the voice. I looked to the desk on the other side of the room. I was met with a pair of tired green eyes looking at me from under a mess of black hair. Gia. I nodded and pushed the rest of the blanket off of me. I stretched and got out of the bed. I walked over to where Gia had turned back to whatever she was writing.

"Have you been up all night?" I asked looking over her shoulder.

She nodded. "I'd like to solve this case as soon as possible. That involves staying up all night." She grabbed a paper cup full of what smelled like coffee. "I'll probably be up all night tonight too."

I raised my eyebrows and took a seat on the corner of the desk. "That's not healthy. You need sleep."

"My dad doesn't."

She didn't look up at me. Gia took a long sip of her coffee and scrunched up her face as if the taste of it disgusted her. She wrote down a few more things on her paper. I tried to read it, but the writing was sloppy and the letters almost melted together. There was no way I would ever be able to make out the words. I got up off the desk and headed over to her wall that held everything she seemed to know about the case.

"So, your dad… He's a detective?" I questioned.

She hummed in response. "He's the best. So are my brothers and my mother."

I scrunched up my nose. "He's the best?"

"That's what people say."

Gia's POV

Emil laughed. No he didn't just laugh. He laughed at me. I put down my pencil slowly and turned to face him. He wiped tears from his eyes he was laughing so hard. It seemed a bit morbid. Standing in front of a wall full of graphic crime scene photos that would make anyone's stomach churn and laughing the way he was. I faced him fully and frowned.

"What's so funny?"

Emil's laughter began to die down, but a light chuckle still managed to escape. "You."

I frowned harder. "Me?"

"Yeah, you basically insinuated your father was L."

My blood ran cold. Emil knew who L was? Well, knew of L. I'd literally found this kid lurking around the computers section of the library. I knew my father's identity was supposed to stay secret. I wasn't supposed to make myself known as L's daughter. As far as the world was supposed to know, L was a recluse who worked alone. Still, I couldn't have Emil laughing at me like this.

"L is my father." I declared.

Emil's laughter died. He stared at me for an incredibly long time before bursting out into another fit of laughter. Emil even went so far as to double over laughing, his left hand resting on the desk. I crossed my arms over my chest. He straightened himself up and fixed his glasses.

"You're funny. You know, you don't have to lie to seem interesting."

"What makes you think I'm lying?" I questioned.

Emil shrugged, "Everyone knows L isn't a real person."

I looked at him hard. Emil couldn't be serious. "He's not?" My tone was flat.

Emil shook his head and returned to his seat on my desk. He almost sat on my neatly written list of theories about the case. Emil gave me a sympathetic look and took my hand. I retracted it instantly and wiped it on my pants. This action earned me a small sigh.

"L is more of an organization. A group of high functioning individuals who solve cases. It's just a ploy by the government to keep the crime rate down." Emil announced matter-of-factly before fixing his glasses.

I stared at him. This boy. This boy that infiltrated my case, insisting he could be of assistance, thought my father was some sort of government conspiracy. Granted, he wasn't exactly too far off. Back when my grandfather was alive, Wammy's house- my home- had been an organization to create future detectives to take my father's place, but that didn't make L an organization. In fact, I was a bit insulted at the thought. Emil had basically called my father an abstract concept. And if he was an abstract concept, what did that make me?

"You have absolutely no idea what you're talking about, Emil Anderson."

His eyes widened and then returned to normal size. He looked down at my writing like he'd done earlier and scrunched up his nose. Was there something about my writing? It looked pretty nice to me. Emil sighed and shook his head before walking off. I turned to face him just in time to see him fall backwards onto the bed.

"So," he started, propping himself up on his forearms, "tell me about your family."

"What does my family have to do with the disappearance and murder of sixteen young women?"

Emil shrugged, "Nothing. I just thought if we were going to be locked up together in this room, it might be nice to get to know you."

I rolled my eyes but decided to play his game. "I have three older brothers. I live with my mother, father, and uncle. My brother's and uncle have no blood relation. My eldest brothers work together, my youngest brother works alone. They're all detectives. Is that enough information?"

Emil sat up. "Do they have names?"

"M, M, N, L, A, B." I rushed through the list.

"Those are letters."

"Thank you, Emil Anderson. I know they're letters."

Emil rolled his eyes, "I asked for names."

"I would die before I told you their names. It's a rule, we don't share names."

"Do you know their names?"

"Of course I do."

"So why can't I?"

I made a noise of frustration through clenched teeth. "Stop asking questions."

Emil held up his hands in defeat. He didn't say anything when I turned back around to my list and started scribbling down ideas again. After a few minutes of glorious silence, he spoke up.

"Let me tell you about my family."

I turned back to him, "Go on, then."

He smiled. "My mother and father are really cool. They basically let me do whatever I want. My dad works as a business man, so he isn't home very often but when he is we do all sorts of stuff. We have a lot of room around our house so my dog has a ball. There's even a lake behind the house. It's pretty wicked."

I tapped my pencil on the desk a few times. "You're a liar."

Emil paled. "Excuse me?"

"I said, you're a liar. You have to understand, Emil Anderson, that my family makes a living out of reading people and figuring out who is and who is not lying. I know you're lying. If I had to make a guess, I'd say you don't get along with your family at all. Your parents hate one another, most likely divorced. You probably live with your father since you mentioned him twice and your mother once. What I don't know is what happened at the lake."

Emil paled even more if that was possible. "At the lake."

"Yes at the lake. When you mentioned it, you missed a beat and you looked away as if you scared so I can only assume something happened."

Emil licked his lips and dropped his gaze. "My younger brother drowned."

I nodded, "My condolences."

"Have you ever lost someone?"

I nodded, "My grandfather."

Emil nodded, "My condolences."

We sat in silence for a moment. There was something sweet about the moment, but I couldn't be bothered to analyze it any further. I got up grabbed a handful of files. I handed them to Emil.

"Come on, Anderson. We have a case to solve."


	7. Chapter 7

Anna's POV

I tapped the pencil in my hand against the table. I had been staring at the computer screen for hours and I had absolutely no idea what I was reading. All of the words had blurred together a while ago. I felt large hands fall firmly on my shoulders and looked up. L was watching me with a disapproving look on his face. I offered him a small smile. His gaze traveled to the screen, stuck in the same spot it had been hours before, and then brought his eyes back to me. I already knew what was coming.

"You haven't made any progress." He noted.

I shook my head and set the pencil down. "I know. I'm thinking it over."

L rolled his eyes. "Why don't you go to bed?"

"I'm really close to figuring out the motive."

"You've been staring blankly at that screen for hours."

I fiddled with the ring on my left hand. I knew he had a point. I hadn't made any progress in hours, but I felt like I was close to a break through. I just needed to take a step back. I pushed my chair back and stood up, L took a step back to give me space to stand up. I rubbed my eyes and reached for my phone.

"I need a minute. I'm going to take a step outside and call the boys. I want to see how everything is over in England."

L nodded and allowed me to pass. I headed out of the dining room and into the large bedroom L and I were sharing for the time being. I sat on the bed and scrolled through my contact list until I found the name I was looking for and pressed the call button. It rang three times before a small voice came through the phone.

"Hello?"

"Near, it's me. How is everything?"

There was a silence on the other end. I counted to three before he answered again.

"Everything is okay."

I frowned and crossed my free arm over my chest. "Are you sure?"

He misses a beat. "Yes."

I drummed my fingers on the fabric of the bed. "Near."

There was a disturbance on the other end of the phone before anything else came through it.

"Everything's fine. We're were just in the middle of something when you called."

I was surprised to hear Matt's voice on the other end of the phone. It was rare for Matt to be without Mello and even more rare of either of them to be around Near. The exception was the holidays, provided no one was taking cases.

"In the middle of what?" I questioned.

"Heated debate. Near was trying to prove something to Mello and things got a little out of hand." Matt confessed.

I blinked. They were all at Wammy's together? "Can I talk to Gia?"

"She's really into her argument with Mello, but I'll have her call you in a few. Okay?"

I sighed, "Okay. I'll talk to you all later then."

"Okay, bye!" Matt hung up.

I looked up when L opened the door. His eyes went to the phone in my hand and then back up to my eyes.

"Is everything okay?"

I felt my shoulders slump and I shook my head. "I have no idea."

Matt's POV

I tossed Near back his phone. He fumbled with it for a second in his attempt to catch it before gravity got the better of him and it collided with the floor. He picked it up and returned to his spot on the bed. Mello rolled his eyes at him.

"You need to be a better liar." I demanded.

Near frowned deeply.

"I do not agree with lying to Anna." His grey eyes met mine. "She and L could be of assistance. We are no closer to finding Gia than when we got here. I would like to go home."

"Then leave." Mello spat.

"Leave the kid alone." I barked.

Mello pushed himself out of the desk chair and narrowed his eyes at me. "Are you taking the freaks side?"

"I'm not taking anyone's side. I just want you both to stop arguing." I snapped.

"I haven't said a word." Near chimed in.

"Shut up, Near!" Mello and I shouted.

Suddenly, something occurred to me. "We haven't tried to call Gia on your phone."

Mello and Near both stared at me. Mello's eyes turned on Near. We had tried calling Gia from both mine and Mello's phones, but not Near's. Gia didn't know Near was with us. It was obvious Mello and I would be together, but Near… this could work.

"Call her."

Near dialed in the number from memory and pressed the phone to his ear.

"Put it on speaker, idiot."

Near shot Mello a look, but put it on speaker. It rang twice before Gia's voice came through the phone.

"Hello?"

"Gia, this is Near."

Gia's POV

"Near?"

What was Near doing calling me? He never called. I had to call him if I needed to speak with him. Other times, he would just show up at Wammy's house. Not that that was surprising, he did live there after all. We all did when they weren't working, but that was rare.

"Yes, where are you. You were not there when I arrived home."

I frowned. Did he really not know that I had left Wammy's to solve the case? Had Matt really not called to tell him? Was today the day he was supposed to help me study? I thought that was supposed to be days ago.

"I went to the store. I'll be home soon." I lied. This was getting easier.

"I'll come meet you."

"No, Near. That's okay."

"Who's Near?" Emil asked coming into the hotel room.

He had a duffle bag over his shoulder. Emil had decided that he needed to go home to get some things if he was going to be staying with me. I had told him it was unnecessary to stay, but after some insisting I had to give.

"Who is that?" Near asked.

I shook my head and waved my hand to shut up Emil. "It was no one."

"It sounded like a boy."

I swallowed hard. "I-"

"Gia, is there a boy there? Where are you?" Mello's voice came through the phone.

My eyes widened.

"Got her." Matt's voice came through in the background.

No. no. no. no. no. After all this, I was going to get caught. I slammed my phone shut and tossed it onto the bed. I started ripping things off the wall, taking down all the evidence that I had been in the room. Emil stood there watching me in complete confusion. I started packing things away.

"What are you doing?" Emil asked.

"Don't ask questions, just pack things. We need to leave now."

"Why?"

"Emil Anderson, what did I just say?"

He stopped with the questioning and helped me throw things into my bag and we were gone. I didn't know where we were going. I was just running. Emil was running behind me. We didn't stop until we reached a park about five blocks down the road. Emil panted hard, trying to catch his breath. I did the same.

"What just happened?"

I pulled out my phone and sent one text before shutting it and depositing it in my pocket. "My brother's traced the call. They're probably at the hotel now."

Emil sat on the grass and I fell down in front of him. "So what now?"

"I don't know. Let me think."

Matt's POV

I kicked open the door to the room the woman at the front desk had identified as Gia's. Mello stormed in ahead of me, followed by Near and then myself. We fanned out and searched the place. She was long gone. Near sat on the single bed in the room, looking completely defeated. I examined the wall where the corners of paper had been ripped off. A few tacks littered the floor. She was using the method Mello and I used.

I felt my phone buzz in my pocket and opened it up. Gia's name lit up on the screen. I opened the message and read it over. I felt my blood start to boil and tossed it in the direction of Near. Not purposely, he just happened to be there. He picked it up gingerly and read it over.

"What does it say?" Mello questioned.

Near turned off the phone and looked annoyed. "'I win.'"


	8. Chapter 8

Gia's POV

"Okay, okay, okay. This is fine, just a minor setback." I reasoned aloud walking across the floor of the hotel room repeatedly.

Emil leaned against the wall in an attempt to stick up the map on the wall. He put in the thumb tacks and sighed aloud. I turned to face him, giving him the majority of my attention. Part of my mind was still elsewhere. I couldn't be sure my brothers hadn't figured out a way to follow me. If they had, I could expect to be dragged back to England as soon as they got here.

"Are you even listening to me?"

I blinked twice I hadn't realized he'd begun speaking. I shook my head and Emil rolled his eyes and fixed his glasses to sit higher up on the bridge of his nose. Blue eyes met green and he looked back to the map. He hopped off the chair he'd been using to stand on and held up the carton of pins.

"I understand being in the same room as someone as good looking as myself is difficult, but please pay attention, Gia. What pins go where?"

I rolled my eyes at him before walking over and taking the pins from him. I used him to help boost myself up onto the chair and stuck the pins unto their rightful places. At least I think they were right.

"Hand me that paper, Emil Anderson." I pointed to a color coded list on the other end of the desk.

Emil released the chair he'd been holding to ensure I stayed in place and grabbed my list. He looked it over before shaking his head and handing it to me. I snatched it away.

"Is there a problem, Anderson?"

He shrugged, "Besides your illegible writing, no everything's fine."

I looked down at my list. It looked nice. Granted, it wasn't as nice as Mello's writing or Near's. Still, it wasn't illegible. I knew what it said and that seemed like enough.

"I know what it says."

"No one else does."

We watched each other for a moment before I turned my attention back to the map. Everything seemed to be in order. All the colors corresponded with what I wanted them too. I was getting pretty good at this.

"I was thinking-"

"That's new." I commented lightly, still a bit hurt from his criticism about my writing.

"Ha. Ha." He rolled his eyes. "Anyways I was thinking, we should go eat something."

"Why?" I questioned.

Emil looked at me as if I'd grown a second head. "Because you need food to live, that sort of how this works."

"Actually, the human body can go about three weeks without food." I thought it over. "Do we have any candy? My dad says candy helps you solve cases."

Emil sat on top of the desk and watched me get off the chair. "Your dad says that? Does it whisper the answers to you?"

I looked up. "That's ridiculous. It helps you think. Candy and stuff is all my dad eats."

"I doubt that."

"Why do you doubt everything I say?"

"Because half the things you say sound crazy."

I looked him over. Did my family really sound crazy to him? I thought we were pretty normal. I mean sure, not everyone's family is made up entirely of detectives, but that was just something that made us unique not crazy.

"Anyways, Gia, we should go get something to eat. I'm starving and I don't think you've eaten in days."

I considered it. When had I last eaten? I wasn't sure. "Okay."

I grabbed my key card to the room and followed Emil out the door. We started down the hall when I heard a distinct voice that froze the blood in my veins.

"Anna, please."

Uh, oh. I grabbed Emil by the hand and pulled him back around the corner to where I was standing and pressed us both against the wall. I held my hand over his mouth. I watched a mop of black hair following a brunette down the hall and moved farther away. If I could see them, they could see me. I dropped my hand from Emil's mouth but he took the hint and stayed quiet for once.

"I just want to go look at the last dump site. It could hold some clues to who did this."

"We have crime scene photos just look at those."

"L, Love, please? It won't take long."

There was a sigh of defeat. "Fine."

I listened to the footsteps retreating down the hallway followed by the ding of the elevator. Once I was sure it closed I leaned back into the wall more and slid down it. That was too close. Way too close for comfort. We couldn't stay here. Not with them here. I would get caught for sure.

Emil looked down the hall, making sure they were gone before returning and offering his hand to me. I took it and allowed him to pull me to my feet. I noticed him examining my face before voicing the question I'd known was coming.

"Who were they?"

"My parents."

He nodded in understanding. "Mr. and Mrs. L. You still haven't told me your last name."

"It's still none of your concern." I retorted. "Anyways, we need to get out of here before they get back. The last dump site was about five miles from here. Let's get our stuff and then head out. They should be back within the hour."

Emil groaned, "But we just got here."

"And now we're just leaving. Come on."

Emil followed me back in the room, grumbling something about food. We stripped the walls of our map and pins once more and started out of the hotel. Once we got outside, Emil sensed my hesitation.

"You have no idea what we're doing, do you?"

"No." I admitted.

Emil grabbed my hand in his and started dragging me off in what felt like a random direction. He walked with purpose, obviously aware of where we were headed even if I wasn't.

"Where are we going?" I asked when he offered no explanation.

Emil didn't look back. "My house."


	9. Chapter 9

Gia's POV

The sound of videogames being played woke me up. I sat up quickly, ready to tell Matt to turn it down only to find I wasn't at Wammy's. I couldn't remember where I was or how I'd gotten here. I didn't remember falling asleep. I looked around for any indication of where I was. That's when my eyes landed on a newly familiar figure.

"Anderson." I called out.

Emil turned around and smiled brightly, his glass rested on the end of his nose. He fixed them promptly. "You're awake."

I nodded and peeled the pale yellow blanket off my body and stood up unsteadily. I walked over to where he was playing games and he looked up at me.

"What happened?"

The light in his eyes died a little. "You passed out before we got in the gate. You had me worried."

I licked my lips before averting my gaze. "I seem to have everyone worried lately."

"Near and Matt texted you. Your mom called you as well."

I grabbed my phone from beside him and cradled it to my chest protectively. He had looked through my phone. He knew my brothers' names. That was basically rule number one was not to tell anyone other people's names. I opened my phone and looked at the messages. Same thing as always, asking me to tell them where I'd gone. I pressed on the missed call from my mom and pressed the phone to my ear. It rang three times before she picked up.

"Gia."

"Mom, hi." I breathed.

I had to admit, it was good to hear her voice again. It had been seven days since I'd left England for Denmark, four days since I'd spoken to my mother, and five since I'd heard from my father. My uncle hadn't even bothered to try contacting me, but I assumed he was in constant contact with my brothers. After all, there's no way they would have taken him with them. I hadn't been told exactly what happened, but supposedly he'd done something horrible. I'd meant to look it up a long time ago, but between school and mock cases with Near I hadn't had the time.

"Matt said he was going to have you call me yesterday, what happened?"

My mind reeled as I tried to think of any excuse Matt might have thought of to get us out of this. I tapped on my leg as I thought.

"He didn't tell me, he must have forgotten." I tried.

My mother must have accepted my excuse because she didn't question it. "How are you?" She asked.

I nodded to myself. "Good, good." I bit my lip. "How's the case going?"

I hoped she would leak some detail I could use to further my own case. Emil and I had made some progress in it, we figured out the next abduction should happen in a day or so. If we didn't find the killer before then, the body would surface about three days after. We'd figured out that other than having dark hair and being relatively young, there was no connection between the victims meaning these girls were probably chosen solely on appearance.

"Very well, your father and I are very close to solving it."

Damn. "That's good, so you'll be home soon?"

"Within the week." Damn. "Sweetie, I have to go, your father is calling me. I'll talk to you soon. Tell B, we said hi. I love you."

"I will. I love you too. Bye, Mom." I didn't wait for a goodbye before I hung up the phone.

"You miss your mom." Emil noted.

I put my phone down. "Of course I miss my mom."

Emil has his eyes glued to the screen. It's a game I'd seen Matt play and beat a hundred times before but never got the name of because every time I asked I was completely ignored due to how engrossed my brother could get. Mello would usually walk up behind him and hit him in the back of the head to get his attention, but it usually just led to an argument.

"So you're all pretty close." He decided.

"Yeah." I watched the game continue. "You have to go through there."

"What?"

"You have to go over here to advance to the next level."

I moved to the screen and pointed at the far left corner. Emil moved his character to the area I had pointed out. He went through the hidden opening and found the key necessary to advance. Once he advanced he paused the game and looked to me. I looked back and waited for him to say something.

"How did you know about that?"

I shrugged. "My brother is addicted to videogames. This is one of his favorites."

"Do you play?"

I shrugged, "I dabble."

Emil held out the controller. I took it and began the level. I copied the motions I'd watched Matt do a thousand times and within minutes, the level was passed. I paused the game and handed it back. Emil looked awestruck.

"That was amazing."

"It was okay. Where are you going?" I questioned.

Emil had gotten up from his seat. He had almost gotten to the door when he turned around to me. "I have to feed my dog."

"Dog?"

As soon as the door opened, a grey Irish wolfhound bound in the door. I gave a small shriek as he approached me. I had never seen such a large dog. Emil noticed my distress instantly. Clapping twice, he let out a short low whistle.

"Kasper, come." He commanded.

The large dog returned to him without hesitation and Emil petted his back. A bright smile etched itself onto Emil's face as he continued to walk his dog down the hall. After a moment's hesitation, I followed after him.

"Where's your dad?" I asked.

"He and my stepmom are on a trip. He had to leave for business and she just can't be without him." Emil went on dramatically after picking up his dogs bowl.

I leaned in the doorway. "If they've been gone, who fed the dog while you were with me? You've been gone for days?"

"The neighbor. I'm usually gone. My parents don't exactly keep tabs on me." He confessed.

I entered the kitchen and hopped up on the counter while he put the dog's bowl on the ground. Emil leaned on his forearms against the tile countertop. I smiled down at him sadly and looked away.

"I can't relate. My parents have always kept very close tabs on me."

Emil's POV

I rolled my eyes playfully. "I'm sure L keeps a very close eye on his daughter."

Gia looked at me curiously. "I thought you didn't believe in L."

I chuckled lightly. "I don't. I was teasing you."

"Oh."

I could still see the bags that had formed under her eyes in the past few days of us working together. I knew she should still be asleep. She hadn't slept in three days, insisting that her father didn't have to so she didn't need to either. Still, I couldn't blatantly tell her to go back to sleep on the couch in my living room and I didn't want her to think I was creepy by asking her if she wanted to sleep in my bed. I motioned for her to follow me back into the living room while Kasper continued to eat his food. Gia followed quietly and took a seat on the couch opposite me.

"Can I ask you something?" I questioned. Gia nodded. "What's your story?"

"Excuse me?"

"Well you read me like an open book. Everything from my parents to the" I paused and swallowed, "the lake. I don't even know your last name."

"I can't tell you that."

"Then tell me about you. Come on. I already know a little bit."

"Like what?"

"Well…" I sat up a little straighter as she sunk down. "You don't like coffee, but you drink it to keep yourself up because you're trying to be like your dad. You relate more with your mom than your dad and you probably don't like your dad that much and wish he was someone else. You value family a lot and would die before letting their secrets out and you use strawberry scented shampoo."

Gia stared at me for a while. "You're wrong about my dad. I don't wish he was someone else. He's someone I aspire to be like. He's just a little suffocating sometimes." The last part trailed off and she yawned.

"So tell me about you."

She laid out on the couch, watching me quietly. "I'm from Winchester, England. My mom and dad grew up together in the orphanage there. That's where they got my brothers from too. And my uncles. And my grandpa."

"I thought you only had one uncle." I clarified.

I specifically remembered the letters she's called out to me. M, M, N, L, A, B. The first three I'd figured out where her brothers, the second two were parents, leaving B as her uncle. Gia shook her head, her eyes drooping shut.

"I never met A. He killed himself when my mom and dad were kids. I visit him sometimes, but my mom doesn't know. She doesn't like to talk about him. His name was Andrew."

"So you were born in Winchester." I urged her to continue.

She nodded sleepily, her eyes closed softly. "I was an accident. I caused a lot of problems. I think my mom wanted to get rid of me at some point. All before I was born."

"I'm sure that's not true."

"Mello told me I almost broke them up."

"Gia…"

"We should be working on the case, we haven't made any progress."

"We'll work in the morning, okay?"

She was asleep before she could answer.

Matt's POV

"I've got it." I decided aloud, scaring Near who was half asleep looking over a file.

"Got what?" Mello asked.

I turned from the map to face them. "I know where the killer is going to abduct his next victim. Chances are Gia already knows too or she's about to figure it out. If we go there, we catch her."

"If we've figured it out, Anna and L most likely already know and will be on standby ready to have them arrested."

"We'll just have to get Gia out of there before they notice her at all." I explained.

Mello nodded, "How do you propose to do that?"

I leaned back against the map. "I have no idea."

Near twirled his hair around a finger. "I might have a way."

L's POV

I felt hands glide over my shoulders and down my chest before a quick kiss was pressed to my cheek and the hands retreated to my shoulders.

"Love, you should come to bed." Anna voiced.

I looked up to face her. She was in one of my old white button ups I never wore. I turned around in my chair, my hands found her hips and arms fell about my shoulders. I pulled her closer until there was no space between us.

"I have work to do. This case isn't going to solve itself."

"You haven't slept in four days."

"We should make it five."

"What would Watari say?"

"He's been dead for years."

"And he left you in the very capable hands of your wife. Now come to bed." Anna pressed her lips against mine, making it very difficult to argue with her.

She pulled away and pulled me to my feet. A mischievous glint in her eye as she began pulling me off toward our shared bedroom before the phone rang. Anna groaned loudly as I pulled away. I pressed a kiss to her forehead.

"I'll answer this and head to bed, I promise." I grabbed the phone and pressed it to my ear "This is L."

Beyond's voice came through the phone quickly. He sounded slightly panicked. It wasn't until he finally told me the reason for his call that I knew why. I felt myself pale and then my body went ridged. How could he let this happen? After a series of questions, I hung up.

"L? Honey, what's wrong?" Anna came back out of the room just in time to see me press my phone to my ear once again.

I looked up at her and sighed aloud, not wanting to tell her. I hung up when I was sent to voicemail. "That was Beyond. Gia is missing."


	10. Chapter 10

Gia's POV

I ran my fingers through my hair. We weren't making any progress. If we didn't figure this out soon…

"Got it."

I looked up from my file to where Emil was standing in front of the map. He was dragging his finger around the map as if finger painting. I pulled myself out of the chair and went to stand beside him. His eyes were transfixed on the map.

"What did you get?"

Emil pulled his finger off of the map before putting it back gently. "This is where the killer will strike next."

I looked it over and then turned to him. "What makes you think that?"

Emil sighed as if the answer should be incredibly obvious. I waited patiently for Emil to let me in on how he knew. He started drawing with his finger again on the map. I was beginning to lose my patience when he finally spoke up.

"Do you see it now?"

"No." I stated bluntly.

"I thought you were a genius."

I didn't reply. Instead I went to the desk and grabbed a green marker before handing it to him. Emil started to retrace the shape he'd been drawing with his fingers. Each abduction sight was connected in a lopsided hexadecagon. It didn't look quite right. Like there was something missing.

"Give me another marker." I reached for the red one. "No, the blue one." I glanced up. "Blue is my favorite."

I handed Emil the blue marker and he put a new point on the map where he said the killer would strike. He redrew the shape, this time making it a heptadecagon. It looked perfect. I blinked a few times. Emil was right. At least if the pattern wasn't just a coincidence it was right. Near always said there were no coincidences.

"Anderson, I could kiss you." I mused.

Emil turned to me, a lopsided grin on his face. "Really?"

"I'm not going to, but I certainly could."

I picked up a small note pad and started writing down the cross streets. We had to get ready. We had to figure out some sort of plan in order to make sure we would be okay going into this. We only had one shot at this and if anything went wrong we didn't get to try again.

Anna's POV

"Hey, boys."

I sat across from L on the bed in our hotel room. I had to admit I was struggling to keep my temper. I felt L's hand slide across my knee and give it a light squeeze. I knew he was telling me in his silent way to keep myself in check, but this was our daughter we were talking about and I was out for blood. If my little girl got hurt…

"Hey, What's up? How's the case going?" Matt's voice filled the space between L and myself.

I wrapped my hand around L's and gave it a squeeze. I needed to calm down.

"It's going good. What is everyone up to?" I asked.

"The usual. You know." Matt lied.

I bit my cheek and met L's eyes. "How's England?"

"Cold." Matt answered.

I dropped my eyes from L's and looked to the phone. My gaze flickered back up to L's and I snatched the phone off the bed.

"Put me on speaker, Matt."

There was a pause. "You're on."

"I have had it up to here with the lies so I'm going to give you all one last chance to come clean. Where are you three?"

There was a small struggle on the other end.

"Denmark." Near's voice came through the phone.

"He's joking." Matt stated.

"Beyond told us. We know what you've been up to. You are going to meet us at our hotel and we are all going to figure out where the hell Gia is. Be in the lobby in fifteen minutes, I know you know where were staying. "

There was a sharp intake of breath. "Okay."

I hung up and tossed the phone aside. I looked up to L who opened up his arms and I crawled over to him. He pulled me into his chest and pressed a quick kiss to my hair before resting his cheek against the spot.

"We're going to find her." He assured me.

"Yeah, but I hope it won't be too late."

Gia's POV

"Okay, so if we get there around midnight tonight we should be able to head him off. We'll be able to set up camp and be ready to arrest him when he shows up." Emil decided.

I bit my lip. "Emil Anderson, I have a problem."

"With what?" He questioned, he scrunched up his nose.

"I think you should back out now. I'm thankful for your assistance, but I have a feeling this might be dangerous and it would be best if you let the professionals handle it."

Emil blinked twice before leaning forward on the table. "How many cases have you handled, Gia?"

"Hundreds." I retorted.

"How many in field assignments have you taken on? How many cases have you taken outside of things your parents had probably already solved?"

I looked away. I hadn't. I had never taken a case that wasn't already solved. They were just cases my father or brothers had solved. I had never even taken one alone. Still, taking Emil along would put his life in jeopardy.

"Anderson, I-"

"I'm going with you. We made it this far together don't think I'm backing out now."

We watched one another for a moment before I finally nodded. "Yeah, okay. We should get some sleep. It's going to be a long night."


	11. Chapter 11

Gia's POV

I leaned back against the filthy wall behind the dumpster. Emil rested beside me. His eyes were closed, his head leaned back against the wall. After a few minutes his eyes fluttered open and he looked over to me. A half smile hinted at his lips before he turned back to staring at the graffiti that littered dumpster in front of us. He tugged hard on his jacket before blowing into his hands and rubbing them together. It was cold, but not as cold as he was making it seem. Then again, Emil seemed to always be freezing.

"Gia, are you sure about this?"

"Yes."

"Why don't we call your brothers and tell them to come over here in case we need back up?"

I shot Emil a look. Did he not understand why I couldn't do that? I'd spent almost two weeks hiding out in an old run down motel, hiding from them and my parents in order to prove I could do this on my own and now he wanted me to throw it all away? I couldn't do it.

"I can't."

"Gia-"

"Anderson, be quiet. The killer could show up at any moment."

Emil went quiet, evidently not wanting to be caught any more than I did. I couldn't lie. There was a tightness in my chest that was growing worse with the passing minutes. The killer would show up soon and then what? We weren't armed. I hadn't brought any weapons and Emil's family didn't keep guns in the house. The best we could do was a couple of kitchen knives, but that required getting close to the killer who may or may not be armed. We could very easily get killed. Minutes ticked by and those turned into hours. I was beginning to give up.

"Gia-"

I slapped my hand over Emil's mouth as footsteps came down the abandoned alley way. I dropped my hand and Emil and I held our breath. It was him, who else would be coming down the alley so late? These hunting grounds fit him M.O. completely. I grabbed Emil by the wrist, suddenly losing my nerve. Emil was right. We needed back up. I couldn't do this on my own. I was stupid to think I could. I was so unprepared. I met Emil's eyes and nodded so he knew.

"Let's get out of here." I mumbled.

Emil nodded and we got up slowly. We started to take our leave when Emil tripped over the wheel of the dumpster, knocking us both to the ground with a crash. Not exactly loud, but loud enough to catch the attention of the man in the alley. I started to scramble to my feet when I felt my ponytail being grabbed. I let out a small shriek. This was stupid. We were so stupid.

"Well, what do we have here?" A low, gravelly voice questioned.

I felt cool metal against my throat and I swallowed hard. My eyes darted to Emil who was still on the ground attempting to find his glasses that had been thrown off when he tripped. The knife trailed its way down my neck to my chest before back up to my throat once more. The man I still hadn't gotten a good look at chuckled darkly and moved his hand from my hair and grabbed me tightly around my torso.

"You'll do nicely."

I felt my blood run cold and tried to recall everything that my brothers had ever said to me about being in these situations, but nothing came to mind. I certainly couldn't fight back, not while he was still holding the blade to me. I struggled slightly. This guy was strong. I wasn't going anywhere without help.

Tear pricked my eyes. I was going to die. I was going to die and I would never get to see my mom or dad or brothers again. I would never get to tell my dad I was sorry for disobeying them. I would never be able to tell my father he was right. I'd never be able to tell my brothers I was sorry for worrying them or tell my Uncle B that I was sorry for running away and getting him in trouble with my dad. I didn't want to die.

"Emil…" I whimpered out.

Emil had found his glasses and was staring at me wide eyed. The left lens was cracked down the middle. Emil started to stand, holding his hands up in surrender. His eyes found the knife and stayed glued there. He opened and closed his mouth a few times as if trying to make words, but nothing came out. Finally he swallowed.

"Listen, buddy. We don't want any trouble. Just put the knife down." He tried to reason.

I felt my eyes widen as another man came down the alley. I felt hope raise in my heart, praying it was one of my brothers, maybe my father. Truthfully, any police officer would have sufficed at the moment. The hope was replace with paralyzing fear when I realized it was none of the above. Instead it was a middle aged man, rather well built. His dark eyes were focused solely on Emil.

"Emil! Run!"

My warning came too late and the man grabbed Emil, slamming a heavy hand over his mouth and knocking Emil's glasses askew once more. Emil and I locked eyes. We were done for. All hope of being saved died in my heart and I knew this was it. I was going to die here in this dark, smelly alley. I felt tears begin to warm my cold cheeks. I took a deep breath and nodded goodbye to Emil, who looked completely terrified, but did the same and tried to look brave. This would be our final stand.

Emil's POV

Gia's Ponytail had fallen loose and hair had escaped as a result, framing her face in a way I hadn't seen it do since I met her. I wished I'd taken her offer to back out when she'd told me to. If I had I wouldn't be here. Gia probably wouldn't be either. Had I not tripped, she might have made a clean get away. I didn't want to die.

Gia's tears stained her cheeks in the dim lighting and I knew she'd given up. I fought back tears of my own. If I was going to die, I wasn't going to let them get that sort of reaction out of me. I debated on biting the man holding me, but judging my how tightly his hand was clasped over my mouth, any efforts to do so would have been fruitless and we'd just die sooner. Maybe that would be best though, why prolong the inevitable. Gia nodded to me and I nodded back. This was it and she'd accepted her fate. I breathed deeply and accepted mine.


	12. Chapter 12

Matt's POV

"Two of them. I never guessed that." I mused throwing down my cigarette and stomping it out.

I stood atop the roof of the buildings fencing in the alley. My foot up on the ledge, staring down at the scene below. Two men stood below facing once another, one held some boy in his grasp. The other had a tight hold on Gia. I felt sick to my stomach. This was partially my fault. Had I been on my guard, she wouldn't have gotten this far to begin with. When I got my hands on that guy, he was going to get his ass kicked.

Mello came to stand beside me and looked over the scene. Near had gone with Anna to the building opposite us and L was positioned at the far end of the alleyway. L had looked so much older than he had the last time I saw him, Anna too. They looked worn down. I knew they had been pissed when we got to the hotel. They had every right.

I shook the thoughts from my head and pulled out my gun. "Cover me."

"Where are you going?" Mello snapped.

I turned to face him, walking backwards toward the roofs entrance. "I'm going to get my sister back. I can't get a clear shot from here. You coming or not?"

Mello didn't hesitate to take off after me. We rushed down the six flights of stairs, Mello on my heels. He almost tripped me up a couple of times, but we managed to make it down without anyone falling down the stairs.

We got to the mouth of the alley and Mello finally asked the questioned.

"So what are we doing?"

Anna's POV

"What are they doing?" I questioned.

Near twirled a piece of hair around his finger. "It looks like they want to take matters into their own hands. We're simply here for back up."

I gritted my teeth and holstered my gun. I couldn't believe they would do something like this. "Can you cover this side by yourself?"

Near glanced at me. "I suppose, but what are you planning?"

I took a few steps back and ran for it. I pushed myself over the edge of the building and landed safely on the other side. I fell to my knees and rolled over onto my butt, panting hard. I shot Near a thumbs up before moving to the edge of the building to watch the events take place below. I could see Matt and Mello leaning into the alleyway.

I took a few calming breathes. They were professionals. These weren't the reckless little boys that I used to take care of running around Wammy's house. They were all grown up and working this case. That didn't mean I wasn't going to give them hell when we got home, but for now I had to trust them. They and L had the best shots in order to save both hostages. I sent up a silent prayer that everything would be okay as I took out my gun and waited.

Matt's POV

"No warning shots. Just take them out." Mello reminded me.

I nodded. "I've got the guy holding Gia, you take the other dude."

Mello nodded and we readied our guns. I took a few calming breaths, trying to stop myself from seeing red. I was beside myself with rage over this guy thinking he could take my sister hostage like this. I had to calm down. If I wasn't calm, I might not be the best shot.

"Hey, Matt?" I looked to Mello who offered me a smirk. The fire in his eyes that he usually got from working cases was intensified. "Don't miss."

"When have you known me to miss?" I offered him a lopsided grin to hide the nervousness I felt. If I missed, Gia could get killed.

We counted down from three silently and then moved. I shot first and Mello's followed right after. Gia was dropped to the ground and I shot again, just to be sure. Both men, Gia, and the other hostage were on the ground. Gia and the boy moved slightly and she crawled over to where he was and sat him up before handing him something and embracing him.

Gia's POV

One, two, three. Three shots fired all before I hit the ground. I didn't have time to look for my saviors before I heard my name being called quietly with a broken voice. I found Emil moving toward me. I was quicker and reached him before he could even really get up. I embraced him tightly, feeling relief wash over me.

"Emil." I grabbed him tightly and held him to me.

Emil's arms wrapped around me and I gripped the back of his shirt even more tightly. I held onto him like he was air and I was drowning. We were alive. We made it. We were going to be okay. I pulled away from him and met his gaze. His lips turned up in a triumphant smile, his eyes were filled with tears and they were close to running down his face. My own face was wet with tears and my hair was sticking to my face. Giddy giggled fell from our lips and we embraced once more. We were okay, we were alive.

I pulled back when I heard footsteps approaching us. I turned around slightly, just in time to see my father walking down the alleyway. I moved away from Emil and stood up, dusting myself off shakily. I ran a hand through my hair, trying to make myself presentable. My father stopped a few steps away from me and I met his gaze.

"Dad, listen. I can explain." Before I could continue, my father held up his hand to stop me.

My father's gaze turned disappointed. "You almost got yourself and this young man killed because of your reckless decisions. You put every ones lives at risk because you wanted to play detective. You lied and left everyone worried about your safety. Matt explained everything and I want to make it very clear that the only thing you proved is that you are incredibly childish and have no place on cases anytime in the future."

I swallowed and nodded avoiding his gaze. "Dad, I-"

"You should go home." He was directing his speech to Emil. "Thank you, Emil Anderson for your assistance in my daughter's treason but your services are no longer needed."

Emil laid his hand on my shoulder before taking off down the alley toward where the shots had been fired. More footsteps approached, but I didn't turn around. I knew who it would be. Instead, I focused my attention on the old rundown tennis shoes my father was wearing. They weren't even tied.

"Matt, Mello, please escort her home. Anna and I will be home in a few days. We need to clean up this mess. Near should go with you."

Matt's hand fell on my shoulder the same way Emil's had and I was turned down the alleyway leaving my father behind.

It wasn't long before my things were retrieved from Emil's home and I was on a plane seated behind Matt, Mello, and Near. No one had said much to me since we'd been reunited and I knew I had messed up. My father's words still stung in my chest as if they had stabbed me there. I swallowed hard and leaned back in the chair, closing my eyes tightly. I just wanted everything to go back to normal.


	13. Chapter 13

Anna's POV

"L, you're going to have to speak to her eventually." I mused climbing into bed beside him.

We had returned from Denmark almost three days prior and L still hadn't said a word to Gia. He wouldn't even stay in the same room as her for very long. She had attempted to make conversation, but anything she said just made L get up and leave the room a disgusted look plastered on his face.

"I can't do that."

"Why not?"

L rolled over to face me, letting his book shut without marking the page. His eyes went over me and the he adverted his gaze. He was putting together exactly how to phrase it so I would understand without having to elaborate. He wanted me to fit the pieces together.

"She lied." He stated plainly.

"I know, but ignoring her isn't going to help." I reasoned.

He rolled onto his back and stared up at the ceiling. "I need some time."

I rolled over onto my stomach, lying my arm across his chest and pressing my lips against his. "I know you do, but times up. I need you to talk to her."

"Why me?"

I fought back a smile. "Because she looks up to you, Love."

Gia's POV

"He hasn't talked to me since we were in the alley." I complained.

Emil sighed on the other end of the phone. "Just give him some time. Your dad almost watched you die. He's probably still trying to recover from that."

I let out a noise of frustration. "It's not fair. I said I was sorry, I just…" I hesitated. "I miss my dad pestering me."

I could almost see Emil fixing his glasses and giving me a sympathetic smile, "I know, Gia. Have you tried talking to your brothers about it?"

"They're all on cases right now." I shook my head, ready to change topics. "How's everything in Denmark?"

"Fine. My parents should be home in a few days." He paused. "Are you ever coming back?"

I shrugged to myself. "I'm sure I will." I glanced at the door. "I've got to go. Someone's coming. I'll talk to you later."

"Okay, bye."

I hung up and tossed my phone onto the other side of my bed before picking up the book closest to me.

L's POV

I knocked twice before entering Gia's room. She was sprawled out on her bed, book in hand. She barely glanced up before looking back to her book. Then she took a second look and dropped the book onto the floor by the bed.

"Dad…" Her voice trailed off.

I walked into the room and sat on the very edge of the bed. I searched for the words for a moment before starting.

"I don't approve of what you've done and I'm still exceedingly angry with you, I hope you understand that."

"I do." She admitted. "I'm sorry."

"Sorry, does not repair the damage done." I informed her. "I want your word that this will not happen again."

"I promise."

"If only I could believe you," I mumbled under my breath. I finally looked at my daughter fully for the first time in weeks. "I apologize for ignoring you. It was not my intention to make you feel unwelcome. I let my emotions get the better of me."

"It's not your fault, I over estimated my abilities and it almost got Emil and I killed. If Matt and Mello hadn't been there we'd be dead." Gia paused and then looked up at me. "I'm sorry, Dad. I really am."

I threw an arm around her and let out a deep breath before kissing her temple. "I know you are. It's okay."

"So, you're not mad anymore?" She tried.

"I'm not mad. I'm furious and disappointed and I'm not taking you on a case with me until you prove you can handle it."

She nodded. "I understand."

I placed a hand on her shoulder and left the room. I shut the door behind me and almost ran into Anna. "Anna, what are you doing?"

She pressed a kiss to my cheek. "Thank you. Now, I have one more thing I need from you."

"What is it?" I asked wrapping my arms around her and pulled her into me.

"Someone needs to talk to the boys and Beyond."

I rolled my eyes and kissed the top of Anna's head. "I've got it."

 _The End_

* * *

 **A/N: Well, this is it. The end. Thank you to everyone who has followed from Forever and Always all the way up to now!**


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